State charges dropped so feds can pursue bank robbery charge against local man

CEDAR RAPIDS - A state charge was dismissed Tuesday against a 67-year-old Cedar Rapids man because he was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for bank robbery, which will subject him to harsher penalties if convicted.

Robert Michael Rutan was charged in U.S. District Court Tuesday with one count of bank robbery. According to the indictment, Rutan robbed the Hills Bank and Trust, 240 3rd Ave. SE, June 3. He allegedly left the area and was arrested June 20 in Overland, Mo.

Cedar Rapids Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified Rutan as the suspect, according to a police report. He was caught on surveillance cameras going into a sky-walk in Armstrong Centre after leaving with an undisclosed amount of money from the bank.

Police said Rutan entered the bank around 10:10 a.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding money. No weapon was displayed and no one was hurt.

If convicted, Rutan faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The state charge of second-degree robbery, which carries a penalty of 10 years in prison, was dismissed so the federal case could be pursued, according to information filed Tuesday by the Linn County Attorney's Office.

Court records show Rutan was convicted of another federal charge in 1990 for the Hawkeye Federal Savings Bank in Ogden. Rutan was released from prison in May 2010.

A trial date is set Oct. 31.